Sheet feeding device



Oct. 20, 1931. 1.. H4 KRAMER 1,828,323

SHEET FEEDING DEVICE Filed July 20, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet l I N VENTOR.

A TTOPNE'E Oct. 20, 1931. L. H. KRAMER SHEET FEEDING DEVICE Filed July 20, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 LL. I l 1 l l lill hu llll HMMMMHMN,HMMH

Oct. 20, 1931. 1.. H. KRAMER SHEET FEEDING DEVICE Filed July 20, 1929 4 SheetsSheec 3 A TTORNEYQ,

Oct. 20, 1931. H. KRAMER 1,828,323

SHEET FEEDING DEVICE Filed July 20, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 a m m V T %.M\ 3w mM /M a NM 7 Rm mm In WW 1 I l I I r I I 1! Patented 0a; 20, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LEONARD H. KiRAMER, OF ASHLAND, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR 'I'O 'IHE AMERICAN ROLL- DI'G MILL COMPANY, OF MIDDLETOWN, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO Application filed July 20,

The primary object of my invention is the provision of a table or like device for feeding sheets in a predetermined position in spite of sporadic irregularities in the sheets themselves, and the embodiment of my invention which I shall hereinafter particularly describe as exemplary is a feeding table, the purpose of which is to start metallic sheets into a. stand of rolls squarely and not askew. Consequently one object of my invention is the provision on a table of means which, al-

though operative against the sides of sheets, arenevertheless effective in feeding the said sheets in a line of movement parallel with their major axes in spite of the irregular extensions and depressions which may occur along the sides. L

Another object of my invention is the provision of a table adjustable in connection with the said feeding and guiding means so that the action of the guides on difierent length sheets may be controlled, as will hereinafter be explained. I

These and other objects of my invention which will be pointed out hereinafter or will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading these specifications, I accomplish by that certain construction and arrangement of parts of which I shall now describe the exemplary embodiment to which reference has hereinabove been made, it being understood that the usefulness of my invention is not limited to the feeding of metallic sheets into a stand of rolls, and that various modifications may be made in my invgntion without departing from the spirit 0 it.

Reference is made to the drawings accompanying this specification in which Figure 1 is an elevation of one of the spring rollers along my guides.

Figure 2 is a diagram of a conveyor drive with which my table is equipped.

Figure 3 is a plan view illustrating the action of my guides upon the sheet.

Figure 4is a sectional view of one of the rollers along my guide.

Figures 5 and 6, which are to be taken togather, are a vertical plan view of my table.

Figures 7 and 8, which also are to be 1929. Serial No. 879,742.

taken together, are a side elevation thereof.

Where sheets are fed into a stand of rolls by hand, they may be carefully manipulated so as to be caused to enter the rolls squarelybut where sheets are fed into stands 0 rolls by an automatic conveyor, the problem of feeding the sheets squarely becomes of considerable importance.

Guide bars may readily be provided which would serve to feed the sheet squarely into the rolls of a mill if the sheet had true and parallel edges and the guides were properly adjusted. ,Where," however, the sheet is characterized by irregularities, say the humps at the lateral edges, it will be clear that the guides must be spaced apart a distance suf- .ficient to accommodate the sheet and its irregularities; and when so spaced apart they do not serve to feed the sheet squarely at all, but merely act to confine its path of move ment somewhat, permitting the sheet to enter the rolls askew. The result of this skewed rolling frequently is a sheet having waste portions which must be cut ofl and thrown away, due to improperly rolled ends. If it were possible to feed the sheets squarely into the rolls, a great portion of this wastage would be prevented; and I have found that after the installation of my feeding table and guides in a rolling mill the yield of metal increased from two to three per cent, due to this saving in trim.

Briefly the guides which are a part of my invention comprise guiding means having a lurality of spring pressed resilient memrs such as rollers which, while they serve as guiding members, can accommodate themselves to irregularities in the sheets. I am aware that differential guiding means have been proposed which could, move so as to take care of variations in the width of a sheet; but these means by reason of their differential motion were centerin means. Whereirregularities in the sheet wi th occur sporadically and are not equal and opposite, centering means serving as guides are not of course effective to the end of my invention, for the reason that a centering action will make the sheet ride askew if the irre larities are not equal and opposite. e

characteristic of my guides, then, is a plurality of interspaced resilient guiding means which exert a composite directive influence upon the sheet, feeding it along the line of its major axis. If the sheet exhibits a sporadic irregularity, one or more of the resilient guiding means may be depressed thereby; but the composite action of the remainder will still hold and feed the sheet squarely.

Upon either side of the feeding table I provide one of my guides. The structure of the guide may conveniently comprise a channel iron member 13 with holes therein at intervals through which the resiliently mounted rollers 14 may extend. The construction and mounting of the rollers will hereinafter be described with greater particularity. As shown in the several figures, however, the periphery of each roller normally extends inwardly a slight distance, say one-half inch, beyond the channel iron members 13. Figure {1 indicates how this construction will take care of irregularities in the sheets. One or more of the spring pressed rollers will be depressed by an irregular ity, while the remainder hold the sheet in alignment. The channel iron members 13 will of course be adjusted with reference to the rolls 8, and will also be set at such a distance from each other as will pass a sheet of the width being handled and having the greatest edge irregularity reasonably to be expected in commercial practice. For the adjustment of the members 13, they are mounted upon supports 15 having a threaded portion operating upon screw shafts 16 mounted rotatably in the frame of the table 1. Preferably, the shaft is provided with squared ends for the reception of a handle or wrench, and with right-and-left-hand threads whereby a single movement of the shaft will serve to move the members 13 closer together or farther apart. The mounting of the guides may be otherwise accomplished, and adjustability otherwise provided as desired.

Thejrollers 14, as hereinbefore indicated, are resiliently mounted with reference to the channel iron members. 13 of my guide. This may be effected in various ways; but I prefer to mount each roller upon a lever arm hinged to the channel iron member 13, and spring-pressed there-against.

It has been my purpose to effect the simplest, most convenient and least expensive mounting and construction .of the rollers consistent with practical operation; and to this end I have provided a lever arm for each roller having a yoke in which the roller is mounted upon suitable bearings, the said lever arm lying along the channel iron member 13 and spring pressed there-against so-that the roller will lie with its periphery extending through the perforation in the channel iron member to the degree desired.

In constructing the yoke I provide a metallic block 17 which may, if desired, be in the form of a channel and to this block I attach arms 18 by means of bolts 19. The block 17 and the arms are perforated to receive a bolt 20 passing therethrough and through the flanges 21 of the channel member 13. Since these flanges are not parallel as to their inner surfaces, I provide bushings 22 between the arms and the flanges so that the entire yoke member may pivot about the bolt 20. A second bolt 23 passes through the channel iron member 13 and the block 17 in which there is a hole forming a comparatively loose fit. A coiled spring 24 surrounds the bolt and presses at one end against the block 17. The other end of the spring is held on the bolt by a washer 25 and nuts 26, so that through the action of the spring the block 17 is urged against the channel iron member 13. I prefer to form my rollers of cylindrical pieces 27 fitted with end blocks 28 perforated for the passage of a shaft 29. Ball bearings 30 may be located between the shaft and the respective end blocks as shown so that the rollers are freely rotatable, and the shaft is fastened into the arms 18. It will be clear that pressure against the periphery of the drum- 14 where it extends through the hole in the channel member 13 will tend to depress the roller through the hole by rocking the yoke on the bolt 20 as a pivot against the action of the spring 24.

An examination of Figure 7 will show that I off-set the rollers 14 transversely along the guides, which I find makes for a better action and a more positive guiding along the true or major axis of the sheet, particularly where, as in Figures 4 and 5, projections along the sheet edge occur in substantial transverse alignment. I thus have provided a plurality of independently spring pressed guide rollers. sporadically occurring pro ections or depressions cannot throw the sheet out of alignment since the spring action of a single roller, acted upon by a depression or extension, will not substantially modify the guiding action of the other rollers which hold the sheet in position and insure its traveling along a path substantially parallel with its major axis. I

I have already explained that my guides are adjustable toward and away from each other across the table to accommodate different widths of sheets. Because the rollers are in fixed position along the guides, it is frequently desirable to alter the position of the rollers with respect to the rolls 8. This matter is of importance in handling sheets of different lengths and as an illustration of the need for such adjustment, I will point out that while projections such as shown in Figure 5 at 9 and 10 may occur at the very end of a sheet, it is preferable not to have a roller contacting these projections just as the sheet is entering the mill, since there is a possibility that the sheet might be delivered slightly askew. Consequently when the sheet size is varied, it may be found advisable to shift the polslition of the guides with respect to the ro s. table, I have provided means for shifting the entire table with reference to the rolls, and a part of my invention lies in the provision of means whereby the table may be shifted without altering the adjustment of power means drivingthe chain conveyors 2 on the movable table from a stationary power source.

I mount my table slidably as shown in F ig- .ures 9 and 10, which may be done by means of rollers 31 mounted upon suitable foundation supports 32 and providing a sliding mounting for the table 1 which has track ways 33. The chain conveyors 2 will be mounted as will be readily understood upon sprockets, one of which atthe end of the con veyor adjacent the rolls 8 is indicated at 34 as mounted upon a drive shaft 35. I provide upon a foundation support 36 a'power shaft 37 which may be driven by a prime mover not shown; and I provide means for transmitting power between the shafts 37 and which will be effective irrespective of variations of distance between the said two shafts. I provide two links indicated respectively at 38 and 39 which are pivoted together about a shaft 40, near the ends of the said two links. The links may and preferably do comprise frames adequate for the support of the shaft 40 and its bearings. The other end of the link 39 is pivoted about the shaft 37 on the foundation support, and the other end of the link 38 is pivoted about the shaft 41 mounted in suitable bearings upon the table 1. It will be clear that the distances between shafts 35 and 41, shafts 41 and 40 and shafts 40 and 37 always remain constant, although the dis tance between the shafts 35 and 37 will vary in accordance with the angular relationship of the links 38 and 39. I provide driving meansbetween the several shafts as by means of sprockets 42 and chains 43, although other power transmitting means will be found equally suitable. The table itself may be moved by means of a screw member 44 revolvably mounted upon the table 1 and operating in a nut 45 pivoted upon the foundation but immovable therealong. In order to rotate the screw44, I may provide a. bevel gear 46 meshing with another bevel gear 47 upon a shaft 48 journalled in bearings upon the table. The shaft 48 may be provided with a squared end for the reception of a handle or wrench whereby the table may be manually moved as desired. A diagram of the power transmitting means just described is shown in Figure 2.

Various modifications may be made in my ilvention Without de arting from the spirit 0 it.

Since the guides are mounted on the- Having thusdescribed my invention, what I claim as new and desire to, secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination with "a conveyor for moving metallic sheets, opposed guides, and a plurality of resilient mea'ns independently movable with relation to each other and mounted upon said guides for guiding a sheet therebetween.

2. In combination with a conveyor for feeding sheets into a rolling mill, guiding means comprising a movable support and a plurality of members. resiliently mounted on the said support, and movable independently of each other.

3. In combination with a conveyor for feeding sheets into a rolling mill, guiding means comprising a movable support and a plurality of members movable with relation to each other and resilientlymounted on the said support, said members comprising rotatable rollers extending through holes in said support.

4. In a conveyor for moving metallic sheets, opposed supports movable relative to the said conveyor, each of said supports being perforated at intervals and a plurality of resiliently mounted supplementary guiding means extending through the said perforations, said guiding means being independent of each other.

5. In a conveyor, opposed supporting members forming part of the guiding means, the said members perforated at intervals, and a plurality of resiliently mounted guiding means extending through the said perforations, the said guiding means being off-set one from the other transversely of said conveyor.

6. In a conveyor, opposed a supporting members forming part of the guiding means, the said members perforated at intervals, and a plurality of resiliently mounted guiding means extending through the said perforations, the said guiding means being 011'- set one from the other transversely of said conveyor, means for moving the said conveyor and guides longitudinally, and means for transmitting power to the said conveyor irrespective of the said movement.

7. In a conveyor, opposed supporting members forming part of the guiding means, the said members perforated at intervals, and a plurality of resiliently mounted guiding means extending through the said perforations, the said guiding means being off-set one from the other transversely of said conveyor, means for moving the said conveyor and guides longitudinally, andmeans for transmitting power to the said conveyor irrespective. of the said movement, said means com prising a shaft mounted upon the conveyor and a shaft mounted upon a fixed support, and at least one intermediate shaft held in shafts, by links, the angularity of the said links being variable one to the other, and means of a fixed length for transmittin power between the said shafts. 7

8: In a conveyor, opposed guiding means forming supports, the said means being perforated at intervals, and a plurality of spring pressed rollers normally lying with their peripheries partly extending through the said perforations, the said rollers adapted to serve as guiding means, and means for varying the distance between said supporting members, said rollers being free for movement independent of each other. J

9. In a conveyor, opposed supporting members perforated at intervals, rollers mounted upon yokes, the said yokes pivoted upon said supporting members so as'to permit said rollers to lie with their peripheries extending partly through the said perforations, and resilient means connecting the said yokes and the said supports whereby the said rollers are yieldingly held in the said position, said rollers being free for movement independent of each other.

10. In a conveyor, opposed supporting members perforated at intervals, rollers mounted upon yokes, the said yokes pivoted upon said supporting members so as to permit said rollers to lie with their peripheries extending partly through the said perforations, and resilient means connecting the said yokes and the said supports whereby the said rollers are yieldingly held in the said position, and means for varying the dis tance between the said supporting members on said conveyor, said rollers being free for movement independent of each other.

11. In a conveyor, opposed supporting members perforated at intervals, rollers mounted upon yokes, the said yokes pivoted upon said supporting members so as to permit said rollers to lie with their peripheries extending partly through the said perforations, and resilient means connecting the said yokes and the said supports whereby the said rollers are yieldingly held in the said position, means for varying the distance between the said supporting members on said conveyor, and means for bodily moving said conveyor and said guiding means, comprising a slidable mounting for said conveyor and screw means for varying the position thereof on saidmounting, and means for transmitting power to said conveyor. irrespective of said movement.

12. In a conveyor, opposed supporting members perforated at intervals, rollers mounted upon yokes, the said yokes pivoted upon said supporting members so as to permit said rollers to lie with their peripheries extending partly through the said perforations, and'resilient means connecting the said yokes and the said supports whereby the said rollers are yieldingly held in the said position, means for varying the distance between the said supporting members on said conveyor and means for bodily moving said conveyor and said guiding means, comprising a slidable mounting for said conveyor and screw means for varying the position thereof on said mounting, and means for transmitting power to said conveyor irrespective of said movement, said means comprising. a power shaft on a fixed support, a shaft on said conveyor and at least one intermediate shaft, said shafts interconnected at fixed distances by pivoted links serving to support said intermediate shaft and variable as to their respective angularity, and means of fixed length for transmitting power be tween said several shafts serially.

LEONARD H. KRAMER. 

